Find out how popular the last name Malta is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Malta.

Malta, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Malta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Malta in America

Malta is the 28883rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Malta surname appeared 823 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Malta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Malta to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Malta

The surname Malta originated from the Mediterranean island country of Malta. The name likely has roots dating back to the time of the crusades and the arrival of European settlers on the island in the 11th and 12th centuries. Malta is derived from the Greek word "mélitta" meaning "honey-sweet" and referring to the island's ancient name of Melite.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Malta surname appeared in the Falaise Rolls of Normandy in 1195, with a reference to Robert de Malta. This suggests the name may have ties to Norman French origins as well. Other early spellings included Malt, Malte, and de Malt in various medieval records and charters from England and France.

In 1230, a Ricardus de Malta was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Huntingdonshire, England. A John de Malta also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1285. These entries indicate the surname's presence in different parts of England by the 13th century.

Notable historical figures with the Malta surname include Sir William de Malta, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Guglielmo Malta (1455-1508) was an Italian painter and architect from Genoa. Tommaso Malta (1548-1598) was a Maltese composer and organist during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, Girolamo Malta (1624-1670) was a Maltese artist and architect known for his work on the Cathedral of Mdina. Giuseppe Malta (1679-1756) was an Italian painter and engraver from Naples. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Malta (1828-1891) was a Maltese-born Italian politician who served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Malta

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Malta.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Malta was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Malta has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Malta was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Malta, please contact us.

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